If a child is new to English or has special educational needs related to reading, we still want them to take part in the challenge. Their booklet is different: instead of having categories, we simply want them to read a book a week that the teacher or teaching assistant has helped them choose. They will be told if it is a 25 credit or 50 credit book.

Reading at home:

If your child has special needs related to reading, it is essential that reading at home is a pleasurable experience and never stressful. We would encourage you to read aloud to your child every day, sitting together and following the text with your finger. When listening to your child, make sure it is a part of the story that they are familiar with and gently prompt if they have forgotten a word. To develop comprehension skills, ask your child to tell you two things they remember from the story and one question they would like to ask (either about the story or to a character). If your child has dyslexia, we have dyslexic friendly books in the classrooms and the library. We also have Kindles in the library with dyslexic friendly settings.

If your child is learning English, we will choose suitable books for them to share and talk about at home. Reading in their home language is still beneficial to reading development.